A Working Mom’s Morning Routine

It’s been a darn long while since I’ve hopped on the #officefashionshow train and embarrassed myself father with some #urinaledition shots, so let’s have at it!

All clothes are thrifted. ALL OF THEM.

I got thinking a week ago about Jamie’s post on her morning routine, how mine looks different, and is it because I leave the house for work? Is it because I have my husband to graciously help me in the mornings because I’m nearly incapable of proper human contact? Truth is, it’s probably all of these things. I never set out what I’m going to wear the night before. I wear what I’m feeling that day…which sounds super hipster and groovy, but I assure you it’s mostly based on how tired I am or how hot I think it might get when I sit in my car on my lunch avoiding the public. (note to self: you spend a lot of time avoiding folks. Get that checked out…geesh.)

This: not a good hair day. NOT.

Along with my outfit, I’m usually deciding my hair and make-up stuff in the wee hours of the morning. I make it sound like a chore, but it’s actually something I really enjoy. I like to play around with my style a bit and while I’m actually perfectly terrible at doing my hair (I have about 6 styles in my rotation) all the puttering around alone in the morning puts me in a better mood.

The key word here is: alone. I can’t be responsible for children while I get ready…I just can’t deal. Annika wants braids, two. Maëlle wants to brush her teeth, which actually means she wants to gnaw on a toothbrush and splash water everywhere. Isabella comes in to pee and starts chatting, if I let her go she would still be in there chatting an hour later. And, with three ladies, you know everyone’s angling at the makeup bag!

My husband ::swoon:: showers, dresses, empties & refills the dishwasher, makes school lunches, brushes three heads of hair, takes out meat for dinner, makes coffee (!!!), makes his own lunch and sometimes even mine plus gets the girls eating breakfast….whew! All before I grace everyone with my done up ready-for-the-planet-Earth self. HE is what keeps us on time.

I can’t be dealing with real-life things in the morning, since I can barely keep my eyes open or think. I have been known to occasionally save my foggy brain by asking the girls for help. “Bella? Do you like this necklace, or this one?” and she always picks the pink one. “Nik? Which shirt?” and she is actually pretty stylish and I kind of have to bow to her suggestions sometimes. I never ask Maë. Homegirl would wrap me in a blanket and call it a day.

This takes me a little more time, admittedly. But it helps me to feel less bad about kicking them out of my Bathroom of Solitude. I’m not a morning person, but I have to be up for work. I don’t leave myself any extra time, because I just don’t have that kind of self-control…I’m up at the last minute and just hoping against hope that I can make it out the door for 8:00am.

Imagine how hard I laugh when people say to me: “Alicia, you have such great style!” and I giggle a little in the boy’s bathroom mirror that my 4.5yr old thought the red shoes go best with that fancy shirt.

I would love to tell you all about where to get these exact clothes! …but I can’t.

I thrift 98% of all clothing & accessories I own. I should write a post on how much money I save. ..

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